iPhone subreddit starting protest early, going dark indefinitely

Following Reddit announcing its new API costs for developers that are killing third-party apps like Apolloone of the most popular Apple-related subreddits has announced it will be starting its protest early. Going further, the mods have shared that it won’t just be limited to a few days, they plan for the The iPhone subreddit to go dark until “a reasonable resolution is proposed.”

At the end of May, we heard specifics about Reddit’s updated API when Apollo developer Christian Selig shared that the company was asking for $20 million per year to keep his app going.

Last week, as the news spread and Reddit moderators considered the company’s unreasonable decisions and what to do, hundreds of subreddits (now over 4,000) planned a protest to start on June 12 that will see much of the website do dark.

On June 8, Christian Selig officially announced he will have to shut down Apollo at the end of June. The next day Reddit CEO Steve Huffman hosted what turned out to be a disastrous AMA on the platform.

Mods of the iPhone subreddit were planning to effectively shut down on June 12 for the protest, but following the AMA with Huffman, iPhoneMods shared today (via Daring Fireball) that it will be going “private indefinitely” starting June 11.

Hi everyone,

We apologise for the back and forth messaging here, but we just wanted to update our community on our intentions to make r/iPhone private (from restricted) in the next 24 hours. This follows on from our most recent announcement made a couple hours ago where we took the subreddit restricted (meaning, the subreddit would still be visible but no new posts would come through). Please read that post too, for the full context on the situation.

This was not an easy decision to make, given a variety of factors, but it’s one we feel comfortable making. Anything that was posted before the restricted mode came into effect earlier today will essentially be the final front page of our community before we privatise the subreddit entirely. In the (somewhat unlikely) scenario that Reddit’s leadership has a change of direction that sees the reversal the recent API policy change, we will reopen the subreddit, but until this happens, r/iPhone will be unavailable for use in any capacity whatsoever. Many other subreddits are doing the same, and we support them for taking a stand.

The post explains more about what the mods mean by “indefinite,” concerns about Reddit removing moderators, as well as a link to its Discord server which is “supported by, and run by, members of the subreddit mod team.”

Notably, the Apple subreddit is also planning to go dark on June 12 and says it will look into “further action” if there’s “no sign of Reddit choosing to fix what they’ve broken.”

Here are more details on the iPhone subreddit’s protest that’s starting tomorrow:

FAQ:

Q: What does makingr/iPhoneprivate mean, in this case?

A: Takingr/iPhoneprivate means that no-one, except moderators and approved submitters, can see the subreddit’s front page. When attempting to access the subreddit, you will be met with a blank screen stating “r/iPhonehas been set to private by its subreddit moderators.”

Q: What does indefinite mean in this case?

A: Originally, the protest was planned to be 48 hours. However, after a shambolic AMA held by Reddit’s CEO, it has become clear to us that Reddit doesn’t intend to act in good faith. When the CEO is willing to lie and spread libellous claims about another third-party developer, and then trydouble downby vilifying them, again, in an AMA, despite being proven as a liar by the developer through audio recordings, that’s when we knew what we were up against. Therefore, the subreddit will be privatised until such time as a reasonable resolution is proposed.

Q: Won’t Reddit just remove you as moderators and force open the subreddit?

A: This is very possible. Reddit has made it clear on various occasions that they will do what they need to do in order to keep the site running. We, as mods, are prepared for this outcome. None of us want to moderate for a site that continues to gaslight its user-base, disrespect third-party developers and moderators, or dovolunteerwork for a site run by a CEO who spreads outright lies and libellous claims against those who helped build it into the front page of the internet.

Q: Where else can I go to discuss iPhone’s and/or iOS?

Feel free tojoin our affiliated Discord server. This server is supported by, and run by, members of the subreddit mod team.

Lastly, thank you. Whatever happens to us moderators, we want to thank you for helping maker/iPhonethe place it is today. We have thoroughly enjoyed watching this community grow, and we understand it wouldn’t be anywhere near where it is today without you, the users. We haven’t always got stuff right, but we hope you understand we’ve always wanted what’s best for the community. Hopefully we’ll be back together soon, but the ball is in Reddit’s court. What happens next is down to them and them alone. Let’s just hope they do the right thing, and come to us with a proper resolution.

See you soon, hopefully.

r/iPhoneMod Team.

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